Page 29

I watch on as she attempts to type a message on her phone and walk, but she stumbles and drops the phone. She drops it for a second time, and that has me walking over and ushering her towards the bed.

“I think you need some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“You take me to bed a lot,” she says on yawn, lowering herself down on the bed.

“I do,” I say in agreement. Unbuttoning my dress shirt.

“Why?” she asks, head twisted slightly, and her eyes track my movements as I shrug off my shirt and lay it over my jacket.

“Because you’re my friend and I want to make sure you’re safe. Besides, everyone else is occupied, so it was left to me.”

Her face falls and I feel like an ass. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. Before I can reassure her, she interrupts my thinking.

“Is Ali hooking up with somebody?” she says, eyeing me curiously.

“I don’t know, she just asked if I could look after you till, she got back.”

She seems to accept my answer as she doesn’t press me further. Instead, she stares up at the ceiling, hands linked and cradling over her stomach.

“I wish I could do that.” She sighs.

“Do what?” I ask taking a step closer so I’m at the foot of the bed.

“Just hook up with someone.” She says, waving a hand in the air.

“Why can’t you?” I ask as I unhook my belt, pulling it free and dropping it to the floor.

She sits up, like the girl from the exorcist, and I flinch in surprise. She stares at me deadpan. “You’ve met me right.”

“I believe so, yes,” I agree, amusement in my tone.

“I don’t do hook ups because one…” She holds up a finger to stress her point.

“I am awkward as hell, two, men don’t go for girls like me, and three…” She pauses, looking down at the floor.

“I’d be a disappointment,” she says quietly.

“I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“It’s true, I haven’t had sex in so long, I think I’ve forgotten what to do,” she says, looking back at me.

My eyes widen at the revelation.

“How long has it been?” I ask not really wanting to know the answer. The idea of Gabriella having sex with someone makes my stomach recoil.

Why the fuck am I asking?

“Erm, about five years maybe… do we have any water in here?” she says nonchalantly as she gets up and proceeds towards the dresser, opening the cupboard door to the mini fridge.

“Sorry, what, five years?”

She takes out a bottle of water, unscrews the cap, and guzzles down half the bottle before she lets out a satisfied gasp but doesn’t say anything.

“Gabriella, what do you mean, five years?” I say, my tone frustrated.

How has she gone that long without sex?

“Yeah. It was with my last boyfriend, Kyle, but he dumped me after I asked him to… umm… do something, and he said it was gross and then he ended it.”